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List of UEFA Cup and Europa League finals
Sevilla | number_of_teams = 48 (group stage) +8 clubs join after Champions League group stage 160 (total) | most_successful_club = Sevilla (4 titles) | current = | website = http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/index.html }} The UEFA Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, is an association football competition established in 1971 by UEFA. It is considered the second most important international competition for European clubs, after the UEFA Champions League. Clubs qualify for the Europa League based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. For the first 25 years of the competition, the final was contested over two legs, one at each participating club's stadium, but in 1998, Internazionale defeated Lazio in the competition's first single-legged final held at a neutral venue, the Parc des Princes in Paris. Tottenham Hotspur won the inaugural competition in 1972, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 on aggregate. Nine finals have featured teams from the same national association: Italy (1990, 1991, 1995 and 1998), Spain (2007 and 2012), England (1972), Germany (1980) and Portugal (2011). Juventus, Internazionale, Liverpool and Sevilla hold the record for the most victories, with each team having won the competition three times since its inception.Real Madrid (winners in 1985 and 1986) and Sevilla (winners in 2006 and 2007) are the only teams to have retained their title. Teams from Italy have won the competition the most times, with nine winners coming from this country. The last champions before the UEFA Cup was renamed to UEFA Europa League were Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat Werder Bremen 2–1 after extra time in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. The current champions are Sevilla, who defeated Benfica 4–2 in a penalty shootout in the 2014 final, after a goalless draw at the end of extra-time. With this defeat, their second consecutive and third overall, Benfica hold the record for the most losses in the final of this competition. While the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is considered to be the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, UEFA does not recognize it as an official UEFA club competition, and therefore its records are not included in the list. Winners * The "Season" column refers to the season during which the competition was held, and links to the article about that season. * The two-legged final matches are listed in the order they were played. * The "UCL" note by the winner means that the team initially competed in the UEFA Champions League for that season (since the 1999–2000 season). * The link in the "Score" column directs to the article about that season's final. Performances By teams By countries Notes A. Score was 0–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. Galatasaray won the penalty-shootout 4–1. B. Score was 4–4 after 90 minutes. Liverpool scored the golden goal in the 26th minute of extra time. C. Score was 2–2 after 90 minutes. D. Score was 2–2 after 90 minutes and extra time. Sevilla won the penalty shootout 3–1. E. Score was 1–1 after 90 minutes. F. Score was 1–1 after 90 minutes. G. Score was 0–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. Sevilla won the penalty shootout 4–2. H. Includes West Germany. Category:UEFA Europa League finals